With teleseminars, teleclasses and teleconferences increasingly popular, newcomers to this remote learning format make numerous mistakes that mar their prospects for making money from the telephone sessions. Attention to detail is essential if you are to foster a quality listening experience and end up with a recording people can confortably listen to and learn from.



Teleseminar mistake #1: Using a cell phone or Internet phone instead of a land line. According to conference call line providers, the quality of the call is only as good as its weakest link. Sometimes Internet phones create echoes and cell phones degrade the line quality for all the participants. Also, whenever someone has told me they were unable to connect to the conference call line, it turns out they were using a cell phone, even though I tell people not to.

Teleseminar mistake #2: Neglecting to turn off entry and exit chimes. Although every commercial conference-call line includes a command for turning off the chirps that signal someone coming on or getting off the line, many experienced teleseminar presenters fail to eliminate these distracting sounds.

Teleseminar mistake #3: Giving participants the moderator access code. Conference call lines provide users with two access codes ? one for the moderator and guest and the other for participants ? so that the call organizer can mute participants and their background noise with a single command. If you mistakenly give participants the moderator code, their barking dogs, typing and office sounds can disrupt or even ruin the call.

Teleseminar mistake #4: Relying on computer notes. If you have your teleclass notes printed out, rather than reading them off your computer screen, you won't worry if the power goes out during a telephone session. For the same reason, make sure you have your call-in number written down on paper instead of only in a computer file. Although a power failure during a call sounds unlikely, it's happened to two presenters I know. Spread your notes out across your desk to avoid distracting listeners with the sound of paper rustling.

Teleseminar mistake #5: Sipping water or coffee audibly during the teleclass. Always have a glass of water near you in case your throat gets dry, but use a straw to avoid gulping noises on your recording. On one conference recording I purchased, the emcee sounds like he's not just sipping but slurping every minute or two. Whenever listeners can't help but notice such things, they're not paying attention to the content of the call.

Teleseminar mistake #6: Recording in mono rather than stereo. I like to listen to teleclasses on my portable CD player as I walk around our lake. Last month I returned a $199 teleclass collection for a refund because the mono recording played only in my left ear. After five minutes, it hurt to listen.

The surest way to take care of important logistical details is to use a reminder checklist, the way pilots do before takeoff. Got my water and straw? Chimes off? Then take a deep breath and concentrate on communicating your seminar content.